Mosaic annual report newsletter 2011

We build and enrich our community together

INSIDE President’s Message

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Executive Director’s Message 3 JOURNEYS Mentoring for skills

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Our life journey

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Balancing act

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Connecting fathers

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Redirecting youth

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Up and FreeRunning

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Learning the language

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Accreditation journey

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Full lingual circle

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Options open

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Adding value

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Preserving planet Earth

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Annual Report Employment & Language Programs

Do you need to learn English?

Are you a recent immigrant?

Do you need translation or interpretation?

Are you looking for training or work?

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Family Programs

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Interpretation & Translation 23 Settlement Services

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Financial report & funds

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Board members & directors 25 MOSAIC staff

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Awards & recognitions

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A special thank you

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Festival MOSAIC

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MOSAIC is the place where you can find a broad range of highly specialized services.

Newsletter / Annual Report 2010-11

Vision & Mission

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OSAIC’s vision is of a Canada that welcomes and empowers immigrants, refugees and newcomers.

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OSAIC empowers immigrants, refugees and newcomers through leadership and innovation in service delivery, community-building and advocacy.

Credits & Thanks Editorial committee

Editor

Astarte Sands Jiri Adler John Dubé Ninu Kang Raymond Gee Roman Guramishvili Rubina Mudhar Arsen Shomakhov

Noa Glouberman

Contributing writers

Soraya Etminan Patricia Fahrni Giudi Ghebre Gary McFarlane Rei Naito Maria Socorro M. Nguyen

Joan Andersen John Dubé Raymond Gee Chava Glouberman Dorla Harris Ninu Kang Angelo Lam Gary McFarlane Rubina Mudhar Amal Omer Astarte Sands Amanda Takawira Dinah Tiessen

© MOSAIC August 2011 Printed: 8/11

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Layout & design Chava Glouberman Elven Hsu

Profiles

President’s

Message

Brook Greenberg, President I am very pleased to report on yet another extremely successful year for MOSAIC. Among the numerous achievements reached by the organization this year, in November, MOSAIC obtained formal accreditation from CARF International, a widely recognized accreditation body that creates standards for service providers worldwide. MOSAIC not only succeeded in becoming accredited, but was awarded a full three-year accreditation, the longest term available from CARF in recognition of the quality of our application.

This tremendous achievement is a testament to the strength of the organization, the quality of our programs and staff and our complete commitment to client service.

Also this year MOSAIC demonstrated that it can throw quite a party. The inaugural Festival MOSAIC exceeded all of our expectations and thrilled guests with a stunning lineup of diverse and entertaining performances from a variety of our client groups. The event earned rave reviews, and I for one cannot wait for Festival MOSAIC 2011.

In light of MOSAIC’s achievements again this year, words cannot adequately express my gratitude to all those who help MOSAIC to not only succeed, but to thrive and continually improve itself. On behalf of the organization and our clients, I wish to thank our executive director Eyob Naizghi and the staff of MOSAIC for their tireless efforts. Thanks also to the numerous volunteers who help MOSAIC offer a wide variety of first-rate programs to over 5,000 clients every single month. Thank you as well to our generous funders and sponsors who have maintained their support of MOSAIC throughout a prolonged period of economic uncertainty.

MOSAIC plays a critical role in providing excellent programs and support for immigrants, refugees and newcomers. However, we also have a responsibility to use our experience and knowledge to advocate on behalf of our constiutents. In light of that duty, I must say that troubling changes have been proposed to Canada’s laws regarding the most vulnerable people in the entire world: refugees.

Bill C-4, recently re-introduced to Parliament to purportedly reduce ‘human smuggling,’ actually effectively punishes refugees. Under the legislation, any refugee who arrives in Canada in a manner designated by the Minister as ‘irregular’ is subject to ultra-Draconian provisions, including mandatory detention without review for a year and denial of appeal and travel rights.

Moreover, under the proposed legislation, even refugees whose claims are accepted would still only be entitled to temporary residence in Canada, without the ability to seek permanent residence for five years.

A regime of temporary protection for refugees was abolished in Australia in 2008 in favour of a return to permanent protection, not only because that is what is required by treaty, but also because it was determined by that country’s experience that there had been no deterrent effect on either smuggling people or of the frequency of refugees reaching Australia on their own.

It is clear that the appearances on the coast of Canada of the Ocean Lady and the Sun Sea, ladened with refugee claimants, are driving these proposed policies. That is so notwithstanding that the Department of Justice describes the arrival of refugees as ‘overwhelmingly

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made by air’ and the number arriving by sea as ‘negligible’ and despite the fact that Canada only settles a paltry 24,000 (2009) annually of almost 11 million refugees worldwide.

The shrill reaction to refugee claimants arriving in Canada by ship is eerily reminiscent of other shameful chapters in Canadian history represented by the S.S. Komagata Maru – an incident for which the Canadian government finally recently apologized -- and the S.S. St. Louis. The St. Louis was a ship filled with 937 Jews seeking to escape Nazi Germany in 1939. After having been turned away by Canada, the ship returned to Germany where many of the passengers were then murdered. It did not matter that many passengers on this ‘Voyage of the Damned’ had the financial means to obtain visas and passage aboard ship to flee persecution. They were in mortal danger, were refused safe harbour in Canada and were forced back home to their doom.

The tragic lessons of the St. Louis must continue to inform Canada’s refugee policy today. It does not matter how refugees have arrived in Canada, or how much it cost them to get here. The only relevant question is whether their claims to refugee status are valid. That question is a matter of life or death, and should not be trivialized. Canadians long ago accepted that we have a moral and treaty duty to provide all legitimate refugees with safe harbour. If the determination takes time and resources, we should honour our moral obligations rather than force innocents to bear the cost of expediency.

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Sadly, the shift in discourse regarding refugee issues in proposed legislation is also evident throughout the Canadian media. Coverage of the arrival of the Sun Sea frequently referred to those aboard as ‘migrants’ rather than refugees, and the stories were replete with speculation about the presence of ‘suspected terrorists’ aboard the ship. Subsequently, the fact that only four of 492 passengers subject to full scrutiny were ordered deported and the remainder of the passengers were permitted to proceed with refugee claims received scant coverage. These passengers continue to be referred to in the press as migrants rather than refugees or even refugee claimants.

As MOSAIC continues its journey along the trailways of the true Canada, the organization gives us much to feel proud of. Yet it is up to each one of us to ensure that the Canadian leg of the journey for refugees proceeds forward, and not backward into xenophobia, wilful blindness and denial.

How many refugees should Canadians allow to be turned away to face torture and death in the name of discouraging ‘human smuggling?’ None is too many.

For more information about Festival MOSAIC visit www.mosaicbc.com/aboutmosaic/festival-mosaic

Executive Director’s Message Eyob Naizghi, Executive Director

Migration signifies movement to a new place, to a life evolving to better meet the needs of our clients. beyond everything that one knows, and exposure to a One such example of innovation is the initiatives we new reality. Not only does it involve physical relocation, undertook with our partner organizations in the area it is also about social, political and economic dislocation. of ‘green’ settlement and healthy living. Our goal: to Each year, hundreds of thousands of people migrate inspire newcomers to participate and contribute in to Canada; hundreds of thousands of journeys begin. local actions around making choices on health and Some fare better than others, but all go through a environmental sustainability. similar emotional process: euphoria, realization, shock and perhaps some disappointment – with a goal to In fact, our organization’s journey is best reflected in full integration, with varying degrees of satisfaction. the triumphs and successes – both large and small MOSAIC is proud to play a role, guiding, supporting – of the people we serve. After nearly four decades and empowering immigrants as they seek their path to serving our communities, MOSAIC has reached a point of maturity. At this point in our journey we are settlement. able to withstand the ups and downs of change with I relate, personally, to the journey of every new immigrant. confidence, commitment, integrity and a solid belief in I arrived in Canada in 1981, a refugee student from Eritrea, what we do. to face many challenges: finding a home, a school, places to shop and work. The experience shaped my entire As part of this growth and realignment, in 2009 we outlook on life. My work at MOSAIC has shown me that made a conscious decision to go through accreditation – an accountability and quality improvement process the immigrant’s journey is never-ending, and that the road that will further help us in our journey to create an is better navigated with some help along the way. environment of learning for collective change and to Take, for example, the story of Veronica Zhou, recounted challenge us to be an organization for client-centred

by Joan Andersen in this newsletter. A Chinese services. In October 2010 MOSAIC programs and immigrant, Zhou had difficulty finding meaningful services were successfully accredited with CARF. employment in Canada – despite an impressive résumé We could not have done this alone. We are very with multiple professional achievements in her home fortunate to have been surrounded by stakeholders country; MOSAIC’s Cultural Connections and Skills who have chosen to travel with us toward a shared Connect programs gave her the boost she needed. In vision, a reflective vision, that points to what we turn, Zhou’s happy ending propels us to continue our were, are and will be in the future. And, of course, our work, guiding newcomers as they traverse the various organization is strengthened daily by the commitment peaks and valleys of their own personal journeys. of our dedicated staff, volunteers and board members As an organization, we, too, are on a journey, to our core values: innovation, excellence, respect continuously learning, constantly changing and always and integrity.

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Mento

One immigrant’

By Joan Andersen, Director, Employment and Lan

R to L: Joan Andersen, Employment Programs Director; Linda Ragoonanan, MOSAIC Employment Counsellor; Veronica Zhou, MOSAIC Mentee; Eyob Naizghi, Executive Director and Larry Chan, Employment Programs Manager

Veronica Zhou seems like the kind of highly skilled immigrant who would have no problem landing a job in Vancouver. She’s young, bright, well-qualified and full of energy. The reality of looking for work in Canada, however, was not what she expected.

Zhou grew up in the ancient Chinese city of Kaifeng with her father, a science professor, and mother, a former national bank employee. Zhou excelled in school; in Grade 11, she was recommended for free entry into China’s most prestigious post-secondary institution, the Tsinghua University in Beijing. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and quickly qualified to practise as a CPA in China, an ACCA in the U.K. and Hong Kong and a certified internal auditor in the U.S. and internationally. She was a star employee at KPMG in Beijing, where she audited several crown corporations and China Mobile, the country’s leading mobile service provider.

Eventually, Zhou’s love for her profession as a public auditor drew her to Canada. In China, auditors do not issue critical findings; in Canada, she looked forward to being able to point out areas of improvement. She chose Canada over the United States because “it’s more me,” less materialistic and more concerned with living in harmony with the environment.

Full of hope and excitement, Zhou landed in Canada on May 2, 2010. She had planned to spend the first six months getting to know her new country before searching for work. She never had to apply for a job in 4

China; the offers came her way. She assumed that, with her qualifications, she’d have no trouble finding a job, but fellow skilled immigrants warned her she better not wait, that finding a job in your field in Canada is not so easy.

Zhou took their advice, creating 20 different versions of her résumé and sending them out in response to 76 online job postings. When she didn’t receive any response, she stopped applying for jobs online and started networking, spending almost $6,000 to join various professional associations and attending countless events. She scored 10 interviews through networking, but still no job offers.

Looking back on the interviews now, Zhou realizes that one of the reasons she didn’t get hired was that she didn’t fully understand Canadian workplace culture.

For example, she told one prospective employer that she was a ‘workaholic’ who spent whatever hours it took to get a project done. In China, such devotion is highly valued. But, as she later found out, the Canadian employer thought she would take too long to complete her work and was not as efficient as he wanted his employees to be.

One day, Zhou picked up a brochure about MOSAIC. She joined the Cultural Connections Program to find out more about Canadian culture and entered the Skills Connect for Immigrants Program to get support to find work in her field. Through Skills Connect, she became part of a mentoring pilot project at the City of Vancouver that was put together by the city, MOSAIC, ISS of BC, SUCCESS and the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. In January

oring made the difference

’s experiences trying to find a job in Canada

nguage Programs

2011, 19 skilled immigrants from the program were matched with 19 city managers. Zhou’s mentor was Tony Hui, Vancouver’s internal auditor.

Zhou learned a great deal from Hui. By the time she was matched with him, she says her confidence had dropped to a ‘historical low.’ It had been what she describes as several months of ‘depression’ looking for work. Hui told her one of the reasons she wasn’t getting a job was that she was coming off as ‘too humble.’ It may be the Chinese way but, he said, in Canada one must appear smart and confident. He also told her to slow down. She was talking too fast.

After their third meeting, an opening for a revenue accountant in the city’s revenue services department was posted and Zhou decided to submit her application. Hui helped with her résumé and prepared her for the interview. After she landed that job, the Auditor General of British Columbia offered her a job. She will start her new position this fall.

Though Zhou faced her share of challenges, she considers herself lucky to have found a job within a year of arriving in Canada. She says many skilled immigrants give up trying to find a position in their field after two or three years of searching without success. They lose their confidence, she explains, and without confidence you can’t find the work you want. Zhou’s advice to other skilled immigrants is to believe in yourself and never give up.

Are you looking for training or work? www.mosaicbc.com/ employment-programs

Her journey: Soraya Etminan, Case Management Services Coordinator, Employment Programs Born in Kabul, Afghanistan; arrived in Canada in 1980 “I first came to work for MOSAIC through volunteering. Being an immigrant myself, I was and still am very much interested in the field of immigration and settlement.

The most rewarding thing about helping clients through their settlement is seeing them succeed and feel at home in their new home.

“Over the years, I have learned that nothing lasts forever, not even challenges, problems or obstacles; change is inevitable. The key is to believe that things can only get better or that good will come of it. If you keep trying, eventually everything will work out.”

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Dreams are part of our life journey

Her journey: Giudi Ghebre, Settlement Worker, Settlement Services

By Amal Omer, ECD Family Support Worker, Newcomers’ Centre for Children and Families

Born in Asmara, Eritrea; arrived in Canada in 1985

I am a nurse from the Sudan. I joined my husband in Canada in October 2004. Like most newcomers, I experienced many challenges but believed that nothing would stop me from achieving my dreams.

“I worked for a settlement agency in Toronto about five years ago before going overseas as a volunteer.

Their commitment to social justice and tireless efforts to assist immigrants made a deep impression on me.

“When I moved back to Canada I wanted to work for an organization that subscribed to those same values. By helping immigrants identify the barriers that hinder their settlement and the strategies to overcome them, they are enabled to reach their full potential and participate more fully in Canadian society. That, I believe, benefits all of us.

“As an immigrant, the pressure to adapt and meet particular goals – finding a job, learning the language, building a support network, etc. – is considerable. While it’s important to strive for

I started my journey by improving my English. I love meeting people so I volunteered at community programs, including the Canadian Red Cross where I taught first aid courses.

When MOSAIC’s Newcomers’ Centre for Children and Families opened in June 2009, I attended with my two children; I was soon volunteering at the centre.

I wanted to practise nursing in Canada. Although I was pregnant, I was accepted into Vancouver Community College’s (VCC) practical nursing refresher (PNR) program in the fall of 2010. One of VCC’s admission requirements was a negative TB test. I hoped that the baby would wait to be born until I got the results. Within 72 hours, I was in labour but was able to get my negative TB results just before giving birth.

I was a recipient of MOSAIC’s 2010 Dr. Kes Chetty Education Award. I hoped to deliver an acceptance speech at MOSAIC’s annual general meeting but my baby was not willing to wait. I gave birth while my speech was read by Janice Greenidge, Manager of the Newcomers’ Centre.

In April 2011, I completed the PNR program and passed the national exam for practical nurses in July.

I continue to volunteer in the community, I try to inspire others to reach their goals and I would like to be a role model to my three children, Naomi, Noah and Nefertiti.

I also want to share my story to inspire newcomers, especially refugee women, in Canada.”

(Continued on page 7) Amal and her children

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Balancing act Finding a good job in a country that you were not born and raised in is no easy task

By Amanda Takawira, Program Assistant, Employment Programs Since immigrating to Montreal from Zimbabwe way After many years as a customer service representative back in 2001, the highs and the lows I have encountered (and a few more promotions here and there), I made have been character-building, mentally, physically and the move to British Columbia where I first learned emotionally challenging. I am sure any immigrant would about MOSAIC through a friend. I remember applying agree: the first few years in a new place are by far the for the job of Program Assistant and thinking to myself, toughest. Granted, the challenges in life never end but, “MOSAIC is an immigrant-serving organization and I am when you have both feet on the ground, the balancing an immigrant; I am sure I have something to offer.” act is much easier.

Little did I know MOSAIC is, as the name suggests, Having moved, fresh out of high school and with no a mosaic of cultures and ethnicities, which all come work experience, I was faced with the challenge of together to create a colourful representation of Canada. trying to find a job. Thankfully, I was not one of those I was hired and have enjoyed my journey with MOSAIC teenagers eager to experience the fast-paced nightlife ever since. With my work history, appreciating my that Canada had to offer; I was more focused on what job and work experiences in this organization comes I needed to do to get ahead. naturally; I know that finding a good job in a country that you were not born and raised in is no easy task.

I began my search in the typical immigrant fashion and got my first job in a call centre doing sales (hats off to Working with and for MOSAIC has been the most those in call centres, because that job is far from easy). gratifying job I have had since coming to Canada, and At the time, there was no automatic dialing so I had to I will always be grateful for the experience, lessons, earn every penny I made with each number I dialed. It challenges and victories that have come with it. was a tough way to make a living but it certainly opened my eyes to the things immigrants have to endure to make a dollar.

After gaining experience in sales, I was able to make the move to customer service through a ‘promotion’ at the call centre I was working in at the time. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to have been promoted, and thrived in the customer service department. I became aware of my strengths as an employee and used these to my advantage. Unlike sales, I found customer service more pleasant, as being nice to people was part of the job.

(Continued from page 6) those larger goals and take pride in their accomplishment, it’s just as important to celebrate the ‘smaller’ victories.

In the end it is the achievement of our smaller goals that leads to our ultimate accomplishments.”

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Re-imagining fath

Providing strong support to sin

By Angelo Lam, Coordinator, and Charles Jacoway and Ken Hopkins, Mentors, Connecting Fathers Program Visual artist Sheila Norgate held a series of presentations called “I Never Met a Blank Canvas I Didn’t Like,” a title which describes perfectly the sentiments of the team responsible for creating MOSAIC’s Connecting Fathers Program.

“Back in 2008 I was offered an amazing opportunity to re-imagine what a fathers program could be like,” recalls Angelo Lam, Coordinator of the Connecting Fathers Program at MOSAIC. “There were a couple of us assigned the task of creating a program for immigrant and refugee fathers. We knew about the many challenges faced by immigrant and refugee fathers and we knew about the various parenting programs that were already out there.

Our initial idea was to take elements of different existing programs and piece them together, with a few adjustments, to address the challenges of immigrant and refugee fathers.

“One morning it dawned on us that we were given a blank canvas to work with. Why not re-imagine fathers programs? We really opened up our thinking and experimented with a wide range of ideas. I guess you can say that we started to slap some paint on the canvas to see what we would end up with.”

Three years later, MOSAIC’s Connecting Fathers Program team consists of a coordinator and three mentors (previous program participants), who continue to add to the canvas.

“We cannot help but keep finding ways to make the program better,” explains Lam. “Once we see fathers benefitting from the program, the team starts to wonder whether there are different things that we can do to get even better results.”

Charles Jacoway joined the program two years ago. Now a mentor, he recalls how his life has changed in the time that he has been part of Connecting Fathers. “I had lots going on in my life as a single dad, and on top of that I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I was looking for a program that could support me as a father in consideration of all the other parts of my life. Connecting Fathers does that. It recognizes that balance is a needed positive force. And the weekly meetings provide structure to keep that balance. My connection to my son is strong and getting stronger.”

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ers programs

ngle dads

Ken Hopkins became the sole parent of his daughter in October of 2009, and along with that came numerous challenges.

“With sudden change came sudden challenges,” Hopkins recalls. “Some of the challenges were practical. For example, I was not able to work the way I had been without child care in place, therefore I was not able to make ends meet. Some challenges were psychological. I felt unprepared to be a single parent. I was being the best father I knew how to be, however, I knew I could do better.

“I searched for support programs in the community,” he continues. “There were many programs for single mothers, but I was not having much luck finding support for single fathers. That is until a friend referred me to Connecting Fathers.

“On the first day we created a practical plan to attack my biggest challenges. It didn’t take long to realize I had found something powerful. Within a few months my life and my outlook on it was much different. Within a year I had overcome the challenges that brought me to Connecting Fathers and I became a mentor to other fathers.

“Connecting Fathers opened my eyes to my possibilities and my potential. I have re-imagined my family’s life and our future. The Connecting Fathers tools taught me to raise my standards so I may achieve goals I had not previously thought possible. As a mentor I enjoy sharing the tools of the program with others. Having gained so much, I want to help other fathers achieve success and reach their goals as men and fathers.”

This year, the Connecting Fathers team is working on systematizing the program by creating a mentors’ guide and a facilitator’s guide. In addition, the team is working on creating a series of videos.

“We don’t know [what the videos are about],” Lam says. “It’s just another blank canvas for us to work on.”

Her journey: Maria Socorro Mangila-Nguyen, Building Blocks Program Manager, Family Programs Born in Zamboanga City, Philippines; arrived in Canada in 1987 “The rewards gained from facilitating change processes that enable new immigrants and refugee families to find their ‘new home’ in Canada are many.

Listening to their stories and seeing them begin to appreciate what they have accomplished gives me a sense of fulfillment.

“I have deep appreciation of the ongoing dialogue that I engage in as I straddle three cultures myself. This process is made possible

by Canada’s democratic process. I also deeply appreciate the medical system that has nurtured my physical health over the years.”

He does, however, reveal one detail: “The secret to our success is how we re-imagined fathers programs. We were not trying to create a better fathers program; we wanted to create the best program we could for men who happened to be fathers.”

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Redirecting youth through empowerment

By Rubina Mudhar, Project Coordinator, Family Programs

‘VOYAGES: What Path Will You Choose?’ was a one-day youth-led conference held at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus on April 10, 2011. Organized by MOSAIC, over 60 youth participated in this event.

Four youth coordinators were hired to assist with the planning, outreach and implementation of this project. Under the supervision of the project coordinator, these youth developed the conference in order to bring awareness to various issues related to youth victimization: bullying, racism, dating violence and gang-related youth violence. The coordinators, recognizing that there are many resources available in the community that most youth are not aware of, also suggested that an on-site resource gallery be available to showcase various youth services.

Youth in dialogue

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L to R: Eyob Naizghi, the youth coordinators and Rubina Mudhar huddle with the BC Lions

Overall, the objectives of the event were to: •

educate youth on their legal rights and bilities;

responsi-

•

educate youth on issues such as bullying, dating violence and gang-related youth violence; and

By using ‘popular theatre’ methodology (theatre for the oppressed), youth were able to explore issues in their lives in a creative way. With the theme of racism and bullying, youth communicated their experiences through theatrical games.

The event concluded with a viewing of Footsteps into Gangland by Mani Amar – a film that portrays various issues youth living in Surrey face including sexual The project team was fortunate enough to have abuse, drug abuse and gang-related youth violence. members of the BC Lions football team attend the event After the film, the audience was divided into groups and and educate the youth on the power of making positive participants were asked to answer a series of questions choices and being proactive within their community. around youth issues. The project team gained important Youth also had the opportunity to learn about the insight into the struggles youth face, which has helped dynamics of dating violence through a presentation plan for future events. facilitated by Women Against Violence Against Women, MOSAIC has been very successful in engaging youth which focused on breaking down gender stereotypes, through activities that focus on education and youth educating youth on their dating rights, debunking the empowerment. Although considerable work has been myths associated with sexual abuse and providing the done, we hope to continue engaging youth in a tools necessary for building healthy relationships. proactive way.

•

provide youth with multicultural resources available within the community to assist them.

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FreeRunning

Up and Providing support to older immigrant youth

By Dorla Harris, Coordinator, FreeRunning Program

If you were to think back to your life between the ages of 18 and 25, what remarkable events took place on your journey to adulthood? This time is often full of angst around important decisions and chiselling out a firm identity for yourself. In MOSAIC’s FreeRunning Program for older immigrant youth, participants face such challenges with the added pressure of trying to understand a new country, a new culture and a new community.

Fortunately, the FreeRunning team is made of up of four dedicated and caring youth settlement outreach workers and an efficient job developer. Like any pilot project, FreeRunning continues to shape itself to match the needs of clients at this stage in their journey to adulthood and as new Canadians. Besides offering comprehensive case management support, our team is helping the youth make important links to the community.

This spring some of our FreeRunning clients volunteered their time and hard work to the creation of the 29th Avenue Community Garden. On Saturday, May 14, in partnership with posAbilities, our youth worked all day alongside local community members and produced a beautiful gardening space across from the 29th SkyTrain Station, planting the seeds of a vast vegetable garden and, more importantly, the seeds of community engagement.

Since he began on April 1, 2011, our new Job Developer, Jeffrey Lee, has formed important networks with several employers in the community to create four-week volunteer placements. These placements allow our youth to gain practical workplace skills and encourage employers to welcome newcomers to the job force. In as little as three months, we have had 12

three youth complete such placements and obtain official job offers for paid work. These placements have been a valuable addition to the individualized career and education counselling support the youth receive from our program.

Youth engaged in Popular Theatre

In addition, Skills Theatre, our ‘popular theatre’ component, helps the youth bring their dynamic personalities to the surface. Youth are given the opportunity to build confidence, deepen their understanding of issues that face them as newcomers and have fun. From experience gained in Skills Theatre, we have had three clients participate in Vancouver’s celebration of World Refugee Day by performing monologues on the themes of arriving, belonging and home.

FreeRunning provides many different activities and practical supports, so that no matter their origins and past experience, the youth in our program can feel supported in their decisions and connected to their new community.

Learning the language

By Raymond Gee, ESL Student (translation by Monica Mao)

Chun Rong’s journey to Canada began when she arrived in Vancouver from Dalian, China, in April 2009 to re-unite with her daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

Having never studied English, she began in the literacy class at MOSAIC’s Language Centre. She has always been grateful to her teacher for taking her through her first steps in the alphabet and numbers.

Every morning in China, Chun Rong’s habit was to wake up and go to the people’s park to exercise. In Vancouver, she couldn’t find the same morning community. Then, after three months in Canada, Chun Rong met someone whose job was to hand out the Metro newspaper in the morning. This woman introduced Chun Rong to her manager, who gave her a similar job.

Now, between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m., you can see Chun Rong smiling as she hands out the newspaper to morning commuters at the busy Commercial Drive transit hub. She says her job helps her to get exercise and practice her English. Her morning community is now the one she has created for herself, through her job, in Canada, greeting people on their way to work, making friends and practising her language skills. The $600 she earns each month allows her to eat lunch with her friends on the weekend.

Chun Rong’s goal, which she enacts daily, is to communicate with native English speakers in Canada.

Now, she is currently in a Level 2 class at the Language Centre – three levels up from when she first began her journey in Canada.

Chun Rong in action

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The beginning In the summer of 2009, MOSAIC began preparing for accreditation, an accountability and quality improvement process with CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). This included: • a system of organizational and program standards; • the operationalization of standards to support an organization to deliver and continuously improve safety, effectiveness and efficiency of client services; and • an on-site review cycle by trained, external, independent peers.

Cong

for

The Senior CARF

“MOSAIC has develope and direct-services sta commitment to the mis This is shown in their g for the persons served. members are clearly co of the responsibilities the populations and cultures

The process MOSAIC created a systematic approach by creating four strategies that: 1. established and implemented a planning cycle that encompassed the monitoring for quality services; 2. reviewed, revised and developed policies and procedures; 3. developed and implemented all necessary health and safety requirements; and 4. identified and initiated the training needs of the organization.

By Ninu Kang, Director of Fam 14

gratulations MOSAIC

r achieving three-year accreditation!

Staff

F Surveyor wrote:

ed a management team aff that demonstrate a ssion of the organization. genuine respect and care . Management and staff onscientious and mindful ey have assumed for the they serve.”

The first step in the accreditation journey was to ensure the involvement of all staff. This included training and information on how to realign MOSAIC to CARF standards.

MOSAIC staff worked hard to understand the CARF standards, their intent and how to apply them to everyday practice. Staff engaged in policy development, program documentation and creating a continuing learning analysis process. When the manager of accreditation conducted a systems review, he found many of the standards were being met, with some key areas in need of development. Front-line staff and program coordinators/managers worked to document and adjust how they serve clients. For example, clients are made aware of their rights and responsibilities, what services they can access and are ensured of the privacy of their personal information.

Clients The Client Advisory Committee is a group of past clients who meet once a month to discuss MOSAIC’s services, using CARF standards to determine what practices should be implemented to provide respectful and inclusive client services. The committee, launched in September 2009, has spent hours exploring how MOSAIC conformes to and, at times, exceeds the expected CARF standards.

mily Programs and John Dubé, Manager of Planning and Development 15

Full circle A lingual trip down memory lane Her journey: Rei Naito Anderson, Customer Service Worker, Translation Department Born in Nagano, Japan; arrived in Canada in 2002 “After working with Japanese ESL students for several years, I found myself unemployed due to a company closure.

I found my current position at MOSAIC through an Internet job posting. I was looking for something I could do with people from various countries, as I’m interested in learning about different languages and cultures.

“One of the biggest rewards of working in this field is knowing that I have had a part in helping clients’ lives become more comfortable in Canada. From my own experience I have learned not to be afraid to break outside your own culture and embrace the many opportunities Canada has to offer.”

By Chava Glouberman, Production Manager, Translation Services Among my earliest memories: myself as a small child standing in a room where clothes were being ironed. The iron – of the ancient cast-iron variety, likely containing hot coals – could later be found in our shed in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, stored among various saddlery and a number of large European steamer trunks.

I vividly recall the baked cassava, sweet and satisfying, that my sister and I devoured on a friend’s earthen patio in Asuncion, Paraguay. I also remember, many years later, grabbing the tuberous root at a Vancouver supermarket after it was introduced by a wave of South American immigrants. The earlier taste, embedded in my memory, remains, however, more vivid.

A snake slithering behind the chest of drawers in a bedroom; a trip to the river near our home in Posadas, Argentina, for a refreshing plunge; cutting the middle finger of my left hand as I grated carrots that my mother had mistakenly left unattended while she visited the outhouse – more fragmented deposits from my memory vault. The medium of communication at the time was my childish German mother tongue, Spanish would soon replace it, brought into the family by my stepfather – his second tongue.

Having attended neither junior nor senior kindergarten when we moved to Buenos Aires, it took time for me to become fluent in Spanish. To prepare for my entry into Grade 2, my stepfather homeschooled me in Español; German ceased to be spoken in our home around that time. Shortly thereafter, of Deutsch there remained only a few scraps of kitchen vocabulary and an abiding sense of awe for polysyllables. (A few choice expletives hurled by my mother when she was angry also colour my memories.)

In primary school, I began a tradition of ineffective rebellion by refusing to sing the national anthem at the daily morning assembly, we girls dressed uniformly in white pleated dusters. That’s when I first became conscious of lacking a clear national identity.

In my mind I was not Argentinean, so I refused to comport myself as such. (To this day I retain my expired Paraguayan passports, of which the earliest copies were needed when I first travelled to Israel for a year-long stay and, later, when I left Argentina for good.)

My grandfather moved from New York to our town around that time, bringing with him an American-made washing machine that was installed in my parents’ home. For a small square of chocolate, I took English lessons with him each Saturday morning. Not much came of these classes, aside from physical exercise – it was a strenuous bike ride, carrying laundry back and forth between his home and our own.

At age 16, I had the opportunity to spend a year in Israel, where, among a variety of

16

Name-changing event

general subjects of instruction, Hebrew was mandatory.

I skipped most of the language classes, jogging uphill from Katamon to Rehavia in Jerusalem to a string of seemingly endless dental appointments, all booked, intentionally, to coincide with class. A mix of South Americans participated in the program, most from Argentina and Brazil, the former, romantically inclined, stiffly tangoing youth, exposed to the fluid language and rhythms of the latter.

My year abroad came to an end, the Spanish alive and well, the Hebrew almost non-existent. Several years later, however, I embarked on my second and final voyage to Israel. Again we travelled in a group, our ship manned by Israeli sailors who spoke no Spanish. It was with a great deal of surprise that I found the Hebrew language tripping off my tongue as I translated for my companions and the staff. All that effort avoiding formal instruction turned out to be futile! I’d absorbed the language despite my negative intentions.

Newcomers to Israel (like newcomers to Canada) are entitled to basic language instruction. Six months after my arrival I took an advanced course in Hebrew grammar; this time I remained seated and attentive in class. Conscription to the army and the subsequent year spent in service further strengthened my command of the language.

Hebrew, like Spanish years before, introduced me to a new culture and a different world view. But this time I acquired with it a strong national identity. Work and studies at the university finished the job. Though the fact I hadn’t attended school in Israel during my formative years meant the nuances of the language’s biblical basis remained foreign to me, a much greater regret, I confess, is that I acquired not one syllable of Arabic during my 17 years in that part of the world.

In the early 1970s, my sister moved to Brussels. Before I married, I visited her young family each summer. My first Belgian holiday made clear that, in order to be able to communicate with my nephews and move about freely, I’d need to learn French. The Alliance Française in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel, helped crack the French language code, while Spanish provided a connection through the two tongues’ many shared Latin roots.

Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps Perdu was dutifully borrowed from the library and read.

I also read many English books during my time in Israel; the first were thrillers, barely understood save my own imaginative fancies. With the guidance of a cousin, a resident of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, I was soon tackling British and American writers, new and old. This exposure made it possible for me to eventually settle in Canada with no major language mountains to climb.

In 1990, my eldest daughter overheard a CBC radio advertisement calling for volunteer interpreters on behalf of MOSAIC. I applied, trained and was brought on to provide Spanish-English services for new immigrants.

It was then and through that exposure that, after 25 years of disuse, I started to regain my Spanish skills.

Working with clients from all over South and Central America has given me a newfound appreciation for the language of my childhood, although the question of whether I am Paraguayan, Argentinean, Israeli or Canadian has more or less been resolved in favour of the last two. There seems to be a great gap between the Eva Erica Kudlik of the first two decades of my life and the Chava Glouberman I’ve since become. Or, perhaps, it’s just a matter of finding that the long way ’round can, in the end, lead you back home.

17

Options Open MOSAIC’s Job Options program helps immigrants find work Her journey: Patricia Fahrni, Evening Class Instructor, Lead Online Instructor and Lead Developer and Coordinator of online program development, English Language Centres Born in Vancouver, Canada; began work with MOSAIC in 1993 “Working in the settlement field means working in a rich, diverse and engaging environment with people who are making meaningful changes in their lives. It’s rewarding to see immigrants benefit immediately from improved English skills.

“MOSAIC’s English Language Programs work to provide relevant settlement content in language instruction, and it can be rewarding when we get it right. Just the other day, we were thrilled to get feedback from a student who felt great because he fully understood a fairly highpressure meeting at work.

‘It was exactly what we were doing in class!’ he said.

By Dinah Tiessen, Job Options Instructor David participated in the Job Options Program. He had many years of experience in the electronics industry in China, but was entirely self-taught. When he came to Canada three years ago, he enrolled in a BCIT electronics program but was unable to keep up due to language difficulties. He spent the next years working on his English. By the time he came to MOSAIC he had not worked for over three years and had lost confidence in his abilities. He said he had been trying to get an entry-level electronics job with no success.

The first part of Job Options helped David update his résumé and cover letter and polished his interview approach. He learned to present his skills with more confidence and started actively making job applications.

The program’s job developer secured an interview for David at Avigilon, a Richmondbased electronic manufacturer that was seeking an electronic assembler. The employer was hesitant to hire David because he had been away from the field for three years, but the job developer proposed a volunteer trial period using the internship component of Job Options.

David’s performance during this practicum impressed the employer so much that he was offered a paid permanent job after completing his internship. He was very happy to accept the offer and has since reported that he is enjoying his first job in Canada.

To help increase clients’ communication skills and confidence in this way is rewarding.”

18

David proudly displays his Job Options Certificate of Accomplishment

Adding value

Volunteers lend much more than a helping hand

By Astarte Sands, Volunteer Program Coordinator Did you know that MOSAIC engages over 260 volunteers in its program delivery? That’s nearly one volunteer for every staff member! Our volunteers form a large and almost invisible force, performing their tasks in the evening and outside of our offices.

About 60 per cent of MOSAIC volunteers work with two volunteer-based programs – Culture Connections and Workplace Connections – where they are matched with individual newcomers to provide ongoing support.

Outside of these two programs, MOSAIC’s volunteer opportunities are varied, including everything from yoga instructors to sing-along facilitators, computer tutors to language-based class leaders or assistants.

Since most MOSAIC volunteers work within language programs providing one-on-one help, it isn’t surprising that a majority of them are either Canadian-born or immigrants who have been in Canada for some time.

hire staff to deliver all of its services. Engaging staff to be mentors, for instance, would involve hiring professionals – such as engineers and accountants – to spend two hours weekly with a client. Not a likely scenario; such a service could only be provided by volunteers.

Volunteers extend our reach into the community through their families, faith groups and business connections. A happy MOSAIC volunteer makes an excellent ambassador to others. When asked, our volunteers may bring new volunteers, donors, service partners and more to our organization.

Because volunteers are neither staff nor clients, they have a unique perspective of MOSAIC and its programs.

Including volunteers in evaluative processes, policymaking and program planning adds fresh ideas and reflections to what we do.

There is much discussion around how to best assign a value to volunteer contribution. Often, a simple formula is applied: volunteer hours x wage equivalent = dollar value While this is a nice numeric solution handy for reports, it misses so much.

Though they certainly help MOSAIC stretch its budget dollars, volunteers bring so much more value to our organization. For our clients, the fact that a citizen would care enough to volunteer his or her time is highly meaningful. Furthermore, being served by volunteers demonstrates a core Canadian value to new immigrants.

Many volunteers contribute what could never be purchased. Imagine that MOSAIC could afford to

Volunteer Sonde Igiri accepts his Certificate of Appreciation at our Volunteer Appreciation Event. April, 2011

19

Preserving

MOSAIC Operations sets its sights on envi His journey: Gary McFarlane, Payroll and Accounting Clerk, Operations Born in Vancouver, Canada; began work with MOSAIC in 1996 “I like to work for organizations that have a positive community impact, as well as with fascinating people from many different cultures and backgrounds.

Although I don’t work directly with clients, I know that efficient and costeffective administration has a big impact on the delivery of services. We’re like the backstage crew at the theatre: satisfied knowing that our presence helped put on the show.

“My life’s journey has been about learning to accept myself and finding communities that share my values. Although I’m not an immigrant, I deeply empathize with people from other cultures; growing up gay and artistic in the 1970s and ’80s, I was sensitive to prejudice of all forms. I have travelled extensively and (Continued on page 21)

20

By Gary McFarlane, Payroll and Accounting Clerk

The things we use as consumers are on a kind of journey – part of the human journey we don’t often think of as we go about our business, using packages, burning fuel, paying bills and eating food.

Until recently, many people simply discarded things after they were used. Fuel went up as smoke in the air; packages and leftover food went into landfills; waste water was swept out to sea. Now, most of us think of the things we use as part of the environment – a closed loop on a finite planet.

MOSAIC’s Operations team has been taking steps toward conducting business more sustainably, including the implementation of our first environmental policy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Our strategy includes bringing our own mugs to meetings, turning out the lights at the end of the day, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and thinking twice before printing an email.

Operations has set its sights on the bottom line (i.e. cost savings), and this has led to environmental savings. Ten of our 13 team members walk, cycle or take transit; we would rather print on scrap paper than tear open a new ream; and we use shared computer drives and emails to exchange documents and communicate. Comptroller Sue Trevor brings up a unique example: “Last year we switched from preparing a printed audit binder – which, some years, was up to four inches wide – to totally electronic.”

As Operations Administrator, Roman Guramishvili is behind the wheel when it comes to building operations and equipment issues, which includes the organizing of shredding and recycling of documents. In 2010 we saved 44 trees through this service at just two MOSAIC offices. An average tree yields about 89,870 sheets of letterhead bond paper.

You do the math – or not – it’s a big number.

Our paper consumption trend is also encouraging: although our organization’s budget grew by 38 per cent from 2009 to 2010, we used 12 fewer boxes of paper, thanks largely to technology provided by IT’s Peter Dung and Daniel Zhang: scanning to email has largely replaced faxing, we use recycled rather than fresh laser cartridges and MOSAIC’s intranet made obsolete the need for printing out bulky and quickly outdated manuals and policies.

Most employees receive their pay and pay stubs electronically.

Although this article focuses on the Operations team, we can’t ignore the environmental contributions made by other departments:

planet Earth

ironmental savings

(Continued from page 20)

•

the Language Centre’s classes focus on the environment in Level 4;

•

Settlement Services has partnered with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition and helped create and promote a community garden, inspired by Green Settlement initiatives;

•

Volunteer programs have their own set of plates and cutlery for functions and the Language Centre encourages students to bring their own dishes, as well; and

•

in 2010 MOSAIC joined Business for Bikes, a Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition initiative.

studied music in Indonesia, so I’m pretty used to culture shock. I’ve also witnessed tremendous positive changes in our society and am proud to be part of an organization that’s so accepting of people from any background.”

Newcomers grow food and cultivate relationships while gardening

21

Employment & LANGUAGE Programs It was an exceptional year for MOSAIC Employment Programs with the launch of two new programs, enhancement of existing services and development of new partnerships.

learning system that gives students a variety of new opportunities to practice English at home and in the classroom. The system also houses an electronic teaching library for instructors.

Our new programs extended the types of services MOSAIC provides. In collaboration with the Burnaby School District, we started helping immigrant teens find jobs and, through our new Job Options Program, we are working more closely with employers, placing participants directly into the labour force in Burnaby and Vancouver.

We also significantly improved our volunteer program.

More than 40 volunteers worked with students in a number of ways, including as ESL classroom assistants, discussion facilitators, one-on-one coaches, small-group tutors and activity leaders. We had great success with two special volunteer-run programs: a lunchtime sing-along and an after-school conversation club.

The following are some of the enhancements to existing programs:

MOSAIC’s Vancouver Language Centre teamed up with the Vancouver Public Library last fall to sponsor the first ever Reading Club for higher-level students.

The program aims to spark students’ interest in reading Canadian fiction for pleasure using the library and joining other book clubs.

•

new online services for job seekers;

•

increased North Shore Skills Connect Program service hours; and

•

a new job development team to strengthen our connections with employers and increase job opportunities for clients.

The Vancouver and North Vancouver (which operates in partnership with the North Shore Multicultural Society) English Language Centres provided ELSA classes for 1,605 students in 2010-11; 123 of the students’ children attended our child-care program.

We initiated and participated in a mentoring pilot program with the City of Vancouver, Immigrant Services Society of BC and SUCCESS, placed interns in the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program, and —Joan Andersen, Director provided our clients with access to online essential MOSAIC Clients Served skills training through an 3500 ASPECT Pilot Program.

Togetherwith our partners and drawing on the resources from our extensive community network, MOSAIC supported over 7,000 newcomers in their job searches in the past year.

New

Continuing

Exiting

3000

2500

2000

1500

Meantime, MOSAIC Language Centres took significant steps in 2010-11 to provide students with new opportunities to improve their English.

One important initiative was to build an online 22

1000

500

0

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Family Programs

ANNUAL REPORT

Family Programs had another exciting year providing direct service and outreach to over 4,000 clients through programs that focus on parenting skills, domestic violence and youth issues.

Meantime, the Legal Education and Preventing Violence project for the South Asian community aired a series of TV programs providing legal education and information about community resources.

Building Blocks Vancouver welcomed Maria Socorro Nguyen as Manager. Maria brings with her many years of experience working with women and families from the immigrant and refugee sector. The program went through an extensive review of policies and practice leading to changes that have enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the service to families in enhancing their parenting skills and raising healthy children.

Violence prevention programs assisted women, men and youth in developing healthy relationships while learning more about the impact of violence in their lives. The Multicultural Victim Services Program delivered a successful full-day youth conference at the SFU Surrey campus during National Victims of Crime Awareness Week. Over 60 youth attended and participated in activities that focused on preventing violence, addressing victimization and becoming aware of risk factors that can lead to youth gang involvement.

Other family programs provided parents and children with support and education in group setting, breaking their isolation and creating an opportunity for them to learn from each other. Connecting Fathers is in the process of developing a guide entitled, “12 Tools of Success from Immigrant and Refugee Fathers,” which will help fathers enhance their parenting skills.

A big thank you goes to all members of the Family Programs staff for their day-to-day commitment and dedication in the work of improving the lives of immigrant and refugee families.

—Ninu Kang, Director

Interpretation & Translation Services We did not only meet, but exceed our budget projections for 2010-11. Interpretation and Translation Services has experienced growth of over three per cent in comparison to the previous year, although the economic turmoil was far from over. We have provided interpretation services to some of the biggest events organized in the city – for instance, eight of our teams of simultaneous interpreters successfully interpreted for the Metropolis Conference that took place in Vancouver. Our translation services team completed a multitude of multilingual translations for all levels of government and businesses and received commendations for its professional work on numerous occasions.

friendly, highly professional, efficient and reliable service is the key to any social enterprise outlet.

During 2010-11 we served as board members for professional associations such as the community interpreting organization Critical Link International and the interpretation sub-committee of the language industry association AILIA. We also co-operated with academic institutions – an endeavour that helps to bring issues related to equal access and education for interpreters to the forefront. The Translation Access Fund, which helps people with limited financial resources, served well our clients during the past year.

These successes were no coincidence. Our devoted Quality service, partnerships with other stakeholders and highly skilled staff and qualified free-lancers are in the industry and advocacy for greater language the driving force behind it. The fact that the department accessibily, were and will continue to be our main goals. enjoys numerous ‘repeat customers’ is proof that —Jiri Adler, Director 23

Settlement Services Our aim in 2010-11 was to sustain our commitment to • serve immigrants, refugees and newcomers. As such, a number of consortia, programs and research and development projects were initiated to enhance our • services in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.

the Step Ahead pilot project for multi-barriered families in the Lower Mainland has served more than 192 families since its launch; we are piloting a Newcomers’ Centre for Children and Families in Burnaby in partnership with Burnaby School District and early childhood development organizations; and

Settlement Services is currently building partnerships with REACH Multicultural Family Centre, YMCA of Greater Vancouver and, through Federation des • francophones de la Colombie Britannique, with the Centre for Integration, College Educacentre and La Boussole.

As the lead organization, in partnership with Immigrant Services Society of BC, SUCCESS, Jewish Family Service Agency, Progressive Intercultural Community Society and Multicultural Helping House Society, we continued to provide information and support services in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.

Fraserside Community Services and CCM Centre are the co-location partners with MOSAIC. Our consortium has served 24,803 individual clients.

we collaborated with UBC’s School of Social Work to implement a FreeRunning demonstration project for older refugee youth and young adults in Vancouver, as part of our volunteer programs delivery, which also includes the Volunteer Matching, Cultural Connections and Workplace Connections programs.

Last but not least, Settlement Services has partnered with posAbilities and the SFU Society for Community Living on a unique project called Can You Dig It, which gives immigrants and refugees a plot of land in cityowned community gardens. The concept is in perfect alignment with our green settlement and healthy living initiatives, which aim to inspire new Canadians to take action and make healthy choices, learn about environmental sustainability and gain a sense of community belonging, involvement and contribution.

We initiated a successful seniors program for immigrants over age 55 in Burnaby and plan to extend this program to Vancouver. Our Lead Advocacy Program worked with the Justice Education Society to implement a Public —Sherman Chan, Director Legal Education Information Project for new immigrants.

The demand for advocacy services relating to poverty law and immigration matters were consistently high.

Our Community Outreach Program continued to provide support and drop-in services to temporary foreign workers, as well as community development work within the Afghani and Arabic communities. Working with People’s Law School and the BC Immigration Section of the Canadian Bar Association, we have undertaken a debt and consumer law media campaign for immigrants in the areas of unethical immigration consultants, sponsorship debt, travel loan debt for convention refugees, bogus schools and diplomas and credit card debt.

MOSAIC Top 10 Languages 25% 1: Mandarin 2: Farsi/Persian 3: Spanish p 4: Cantonese 5: Vietnamese 6: Korean 7: Tagalog/Filipino 8: Arabic 9: Russian 10: Punjabi 11: Other*

20%

15% 13%

23%

10% 9%

9% 7%

5%

6% 4%

3% Our unique Micro-Loans Program with Vancity has now 3% 3% 3% successfully been replicated in Surrey, in partnership 0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 with DIVERSECity. We also continued to provide specialized services to vulnerable refugee and immigrant * Dari, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Jarai, Kurdish, Portuguese, Romanian, Somali, Tamil, Tigrigna and Turkish families through the following:

24

11

2010-11

ANNUAL REPORT

Financial Report REVENUE REVENUE, 2011 Foundations & Other Grants 2%

Donations, Interest & Other 6%

Federal Grants 1%

Board of Directors President Brook Greenberg

Interpretation & Translation Fees 10%

City of Vancouver Grants 1%

Vice-president Karimah Es Sabar Treasurer Bark Kong Secretary Gabrielle Smith

Provincial Grants 80%

EXPENSES EXPENSES, 2011

Office, Program & Other Expenses 6%

Building Occupancy 7%

Salaries, Wages & Benefits 42%

Purchased Services 25%

Client Training & Allowances 20%

Jeff Brooks Kyle Hyndman Aly Jetha Mehran Kiai Adam Policzer Shauna Turner Susan Witter

Directors Executive Director Eyob Naizghi

mosaic funds

Operations/Comptroller Sue Trevor

Each year, MOSAIC’s Board of Directors sets aside funds to provide assistance to immigrant and refugee communities, such as: • •

•

keywords of common medical terms are produced in various languages through the Multi-Lingual Guide Fund; scholarships for immigrants and refugees are provided through the Dr. Kes Chetty MOSAIC Scholarship Fund and the Britannia Secondary School Bursary Fund; individuals without the financial resources to access translation services are assisted, upon referral by MOSAIC staff, through the Translation Access Fund.

As per the MOSAIC Strategic Plan, certain funds are only accessible with the board’s approval, in order to safeguard MOSAIC’s financial sustainability and its ability to provide services to its communities. Unrestricted net assets are maintained for contingency purposes.

Employment & English Language Programs Joan Andersen Family Programs Ninu Kang Interpretation & Translation Services Jiri Adler Settlement Services Sherman Chan 25

Our invaluable asset: Employment Programs Khalid Al-Seragi Alberto Arechavala Laila Belabbas Rosa-Maria Bernini Sonia Bravo Celia Brookfield Brett Button Alice Caldeira Renata Camara Hilda Castillo Larry Chan Silvia Cheung Randy Cronsilver Daniel DaSilva Lynda Dassiuk Juliana de Souza Elshirl Dinsay Soraya Etminan Alvaro Garcia Marina Gherman Najah Hage Leeza Han Gina Ho Sudeh Jahankhani Esther Kang Shirin Karmali Hana Khalaf-Sepahi Mobeen Khan Kitty Kuk Sheila Lampros Catherine Law Madeleine Lee Gurinder Mann Tahmina Masehoor Josefina (Josie) McCarthy Fernando Micu Julia Nie Juan Olaechea Lara Oliveira Caroline Poole Georgiana Qin Linda Ragoonanan James Raman Nick Riedl Maya Santos Mariah Sayyad Tanja Scekic-Ivkovic Nishi Sharma 26

Arsen Shomakhov Ismat Simo Rumani Singh Gilbert Siu Candice So Elizabeth Strayski Amanda Takawira Dinah Tiessen Dennis Tsang Elizeth Usaqui Mariya Vysotskaya Karen Wang Judy Wong Mayvan Wong Laura Yuan Nathan Zadworny

English Language Centres Mehjabeen Ali Brian Angene Jessica Ayers Sadia Bakhshi Hana Beck Vesna Bokic Ann Bonham Donna Bowler Paul Carter Hilda Castillo Ho Yan (Barbie) Chan Ivy Chan Sabina Cheng Wanda Chow Maureen Cook Debra Dahlberg Eleanor Derreth Julianne Doctor Jennifer Dodds Steve Dunbar Marzena Dziurka Jason Evans Wesley Everaars Patricia Fahrni Bozena Felsz Georgia Ferguson Sarah Francis Naomi Frankel Louise Garvin Raymond Gee Jenny Glickman-Rynd

Beth Grayer Jette Helin Lewis James Mark Janousek Lucinda Jones Jane Kalmakoff Aldona Kaminska Yumi Kanakubo Esther Kengkengan Nonna Ketskalo Lorraine Kyte Tanya Lebar Anita Lemonis Patricia Lesku Robert Li Julie Li-Zhou Jennifer Low Hussain Luaibi Chantelle MacIsaac Violeta Madsen Denise Mahood Monica Mao Patricia Marilley-Bodner Aseefa Merali Celina Mikolajczyk Nina Miller Nicole Moore Fakhereh Mottahed Ifigenia Moutsokapas Jelka Muzur Irama Nunez Susan Parker Steven Parry Danuta Pawlak Barbara Peabody Nadia Rabierad Antonia Robertson Susan Robertson Maritess Robles Sonia Sanchez Geraldine Sangwais Kim Shetler Lynn Simpson Chand Sirimanne Nipaporn Tangtorrith Geoffrey Taylor Lisa Terrell Theresa Tran Astrid van der Pol Ying (Sandy) Wang Rong Zhang

MOSAIC Staff Family Programs Sindy Angel Sandeep Bachra Tasha Bassingthwaighte Rachna Bhagi Joanne Chen Kyung Ah (Rosaria) Chun Caroline Chung Guillermo Comesana Alba Correa Gloria Diaz Maria Escolan Perminder Flora Setsuko Hirose Mai Hoang Heather Hoiness Ae Jung (Jenny) Kang Iraj Khabazian Junghwa Kim Angelo Lam The Binh Luong Violeta Madsen Maria Mangila-Nguyen Isis Mendez Xalima Mohamud Rubina Mudhar Dung Nguyen Lai Nguyen Truc Thanh Nguyen Abshira Osman Regina Paniagua Hoang Phan Rashmi Raheja Femida Rajan Hong Rolan Jennifer Sarkar Dascha Saville Sun-Hee (Sunny) Song Lilibeth Taypin Kim Ton Chung Tran Le Trinh Tran Huong Truong Han Hsin (Jasmine) Tu Morena Zaldana

Interpretation & Translation Services Rei Naito Anderson Joyce Chan Roxanne Davies Bessy Ferris Chava Glouberman Phung Ho Elven Hsu Tatjana Krzman Mignote Molaligne Bita Nikrafar Dianne Nixdorf

Settlement Services Andara Ahmad Mustafa Ahmad Jamila Ali Daisy Au Lucas Aube Roja Bagheri Janis Britland Gidion Bukiriro Claudia Calles Celine Caro Rafi Charif Joanne Chen Angela Contreras Carmen Contreras Lam Dang Gerardo de la Paz Miriam Dell’Orto Christina Foo Annette Fraser Mina Geranmayeh Giudi Ghebre Jeff Giblin Janice Greenidge Dorla Harris Sedigheh Hendizadeh Brittany Hiebert Palwasha Hussain Khel Alzira Islamovic Irina Ivan Ritu Jhamb

ANNUAL REPORT

Amal Kago Lama Kanj Marc Larrivee Maggie Lau Ronnie Law Da Rae Lee Naomi Linklater Alan Lo Flora Lung Trilby McGaw Maria Mira Beatriz Mora Esperance Mukeshimana Kristin Olson Jinok Park Jung Ran (Lillian) Park Farah Prashadcolah Elaine Qin Sadia Ramirez Nosheen Rao Mehrzad Salari Astarte Sands Anna (Wing Mei) Shum Ismat Simo Stephanie Smith Saleem Spindari Hanifa Taleb Angel Tse Sung Woo Barbie Wu

Operations Sandra Chua John Dube Peter Dung Sashi Dutt Sousan Forghani-Ashrafi Roman Guramishvili Kiyo Kiyooka Sandy Lam Iryna Linnyk Gary McFarlane Humam Mustafa Ved Pareek Sukhy Suaan Susan Yung Daniel Zhao

27

Awards & Recognitions 2009-10 Dr. Kes Chetty Education Award Amal Omer Muzit Woldegabr

thank you!

The support of our funders is essential to MOSAIC’s ability to deliver quality services and programs to our communities. MOSAIC gratefully acknowledges the commitment and support of the following funders who have made significant financial contributions during the past year: BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch City of Vancouver – Community Grants Justice Canada

Human Rights Award

Law Foundation of BC Ministry of Attorney General Ministry of Children and Family Development Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Ministry of Social Development Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Public Health Agency of Canada United Way of the Lower Mainland Urban Systems Foundation Vancity Savings Credit Union

Adrienne Montani

Britannia Bursary Award Jessie Sun Neell Young

Employer Recognition Award

MOSAIC recognizes the 260 volunteers who donated their time and energy this year to help deliver services to immigrants, refugees and newcomers.

Thank you for your important contributions!

28

Vancouver Foundation Windows of Opportunity Coalition Thank you also to those individuals, organizations and partners who supported MOSAIC through their memberships, generous donations and relationships over the past year.

Become a friend of

MOSAIC

Our multi-ethnic community enriches our economy, experience and lives. Together with our involved and supportive friends, we can provide a place where immigrants and refugees can transform challenges into opportunities and fully contribute their knowledge, skills and unlimited potential to our vibrant multi-ethnic communities.

Memberships are annual and free (from April 1 to March 31).

Donations are welcome.

For more details, please contact Sandra at

604 254 9626 or visit

www.mosaicbc.com

29

M OS A IC

2011 ANNUAL GENERAL M EETI N G Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 5:30 pm Keynote Speaker: Ujjal Dosanjh Former AG and Premier of BC, & Former Minister of Health (Canada)

Floral Hall, VanDusen Gardens Located at Oak & West 37th Avenue

English Language Centres 301 - 2730 Commercial Dr Vancouver, BC V5N 5P4 604 684 8825

Settlement Services 2nd Floor - 1720 Grant St Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y7 604 254 9626

206 - 2555 Commercial Dr Vancouver, BC V5N 4C1 604 708 3905

7009 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5E 1E5 604 636 0120

207 - 123 E 15th St North Vancouver, BC V7L 2P7 604 988 2931

7297 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5E 1G5 604 636 4712

103 - 4181 Hastings St Burnaby, BC V5C 2J3 604 630 1070

Crystal Mall CCM Centre site 4533 Kingsborough Burnaby, BC V5H 4V3 604 877 8606

Family Programs 2nd Floor - 1720 Grant St Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y7 604 254 9626 Employment Programs 1522 Commercial Dr Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y2 604 254 0244 312 - 2555 Commercial Dr Vancouver, BC V5N 4C1 604 708 9300 7297 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5E 1G5 604 636 4712

Fraserside Community Services site 2nd Floor - 519 7th St New Westminster, BC V3M 6A7 604 522 3722 Interpretation Services 2nd Floor - 1720 Grant St Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y7 604 254 8022 Translation Services 1522 Commercial Dr Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y2 604 254 0469

www.mosaicbc.com